The State University of New York at New Paltz closes out its season on the road against Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Hawks hope to play spoilers for both the Cardinals, who is still in the hunt to clinch a playoff spot, and the Bears, who are looking to secure at top two seed in the conference tournament.

SUNY New Paltz suffered its eighth-straight loss Tuesday when SUNY Cortland visited the Hawk Center, but the Hawks battled throughout the 40 minutes and were in the game late. Overcoming a 13-point deficit early in the second half, SUNY New Paltz trimmed the difference to four several times down the stretch including with less than a minute left. It couldn't get a go-ahead bucket, however, and the Red Dragons pulled away with a seven-point win. The Hawks hope to end the season with the same type of effort against the Cardinals and Bears, while also adding a pair of victories to their current, 5-18 overall standing and 1-15 conference mark.

The last time SUNY New Paltz saw Plattsburgh (8-15 overall, 5-11 SUNYAC) and Potsdam (18-5, 13-3) was back in early December in the Hawk Center. SUNY New Paltz suffered an 81-60 loss against the Cardinals, as it struggled offensively throughout the game. RJ Meyers-Turner led the Hawks with 19 points, shooting 50 percent from the field. Meyers-Turner paced the team offensively against the Potsdam as well, finishing with a game-high 27 points off the bench after shooting 7-for-12 from the floor and making 9-for-10 from the free throw line in a 83-70 loss.
Sophomore forward Isaiah Brown is the Bears' leading scorer, averaging 24.6 per game, while shooting nearly 45 percent from the floor and 34 percent from behind the arc. Brown is coming off a 42-point, 15-rebound performance against Oswego State a day before posting 33 points and 10 boards against SUNY Cortland Feb. 18 and 19, respectively, which earned him a SUNYAC Player of the Week and USBWA National Player of the Week recognition.

Junior center Travis Cox paces the Cardinals offense with 17.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while senior guard Nick DeAngelis follows with 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds a contest. Plattsburgh goes into the matchup against the Hawks losing its last three games with its last win coming against Fredonia State Feb. 7.

Tristan Wissemann was SUNY New Paltz's leading scorer against the Red Dragons Tuesday after finishing with a team-best 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting form the field with 10 rebounds. Wissemann most recently joined the Hawks' 1,000-point club and is currently ranked 17th in program history with 1,025 career points. He has led the Hawks this season, totaling 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

SUNY New Paltz is set to tip-off against the Cardinals Friday at 5:30 p.m., and then will travel to Potsdam to take on the Bears Saturday at 2 p.m.

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